Shades of Red
by Lola99
Summary: Lee Shepard, Carmine Vaughan, and Ellis Wade have been best friends since birth. They had a good life growing up on Mindoir, but that all changed in an instant. Now they must all find their own ways to deal with having their lives turned upside down. This is my take on Mindoir and the aftermath, with several OCs. Only slightly AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! Welcome to Shades of Red. This story was inspired by a song that came on while I was running one day. Specifically, these lyrics:**

_I've seen my family fade away, you've taken my whole life_

_There's nothing left to say_

_Sitting in silence with heaven above me I prayed every night by their graves_

_While I search for closure I feel it no longer_

_I can't turn my cheek away_

_I stand before you; I'll sin when I have to_

_But now I leave your side, to avenge my family's pride_

_~from Strength of the World, by Avenged Sevenfold_

**So, initially, I started thinking about Shepard. What if a Shepard with the colonist background couldn't get over what happened to their family, and decided that it was their personal mission to hunt down the people responsible? But the more I developed Carmine, the more I realized that she wasn't Shepard. The Alliance wasn't the path she would have taken.**

**So that's when I decided that she was going to be a completely original character. This takes place in the Mass Effect universe, sticks at least **_**close**_ **to canon, happens during the same timeframe, and Shepard is in it. He just won't be the main character.**

**All right. I've babbled enough. Time to start the story. Please let me know what you think. I love getting feedback in all forms. I will hopefully be posting at least once a week, possibly more, depending on real life. :)**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta reading this for me. She is amazing, and I can't say that enough. **

**BioWare owns all. Well, except Carmine and Ellis. I am 100% responsible for those two, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Anna Vaughan knew something was up when her sixteen-year-old daughter came straight home from school and immediately started cleaning her room. She'd been asking Carmine to take care of it all week, and she'd kept putting it off as usual.<p>

She knew the something was big when Carmine cleared the table and started on the dishes immediately after supper, without being prompted by either of her parents. Anna only shrugged when her husband, Elias, raised his brow at her in question. Whatever it was that Carmine wanted, it would come out eventually.

And it did, right before bed that night. She and Elias were sitting in bed, reading and grading papers.

"Mom, Dad, can I ask you a question?"

Anna looked up from her papers and said, "I was wondering when you would get around to it."

"Huh?"

Elias laughed as he put down his book. "You've been ever so helpful, and very much _not yourself_, all night. Do you really think that we didn't realize that you wanted something?"

"Um...how do I answer that?"

Sighing, Anna said, "Just tell us what you want, Carmine."

Her daughter shifted nervously back and forth a few times before finally spitting it out.

"Lee has invited Ellis and I to go camping with him this weekend at Vernon Park. We would leave after school on Friday, and be back on Sunday afternoon. I was wondering if it would be okay?"

Elias frowned. "That's funny. I thought Robert said that he was leaving for Earth on Saturday night. Something about his mother having a medical procedure of some sort he wanted to be there for."

Anna looked at her daughter, who quickly lowered her eyes to the floor before mumbling, "Lee's parents aren't coming. It would just be us three."

Sharing a look with her husband, Anna answered, "Carmine, your father and I will need to discuss this. We'll let you know in the morning, okay?"

"Okay. Night."

She and Elias both bid their daughter a good night and then turned towards each other. It was Anna who spoke first.

"So, what do you think?"

"I don't know, love. I think, for the most part, they are good kids. But...sometimes…"

"When the three of them get together, they find trouble in every way possible?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah. If it was just for the day, or if they wouldn't be going so far….maybe I'd feel differently."

"I think we have to say no to this one."

"And isn't it convenient that you have an early meeting tomorrow, and I have to be the one to break it to her?"

Her husband leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before leaning back with a grin.

"Very."

* * *

><p>"Oh, but please Mom! I'll do <em>anything<em>. I'll keep my room clean, and I'll do the dishes without complaining. And I'll...um...I don't know what else. But I'll think of something."

Carmine didn't like the amused look her mom gave her before replying.

"You do realize that those are things you should be doing anyway?" She shook her head. "Regardless, we just don't think it's a good idea right now. Vernon Park is too far out of town, and I don't like the idea of there being no adult supervision."

"We're almost adults. I mean, El _will_ be an adult next month! We'll be responsible, I promise."

"I'm sorry, Carmine, but our answer is final. Your dad did say that if you guys want, he'll take you as soon as school lets out for the summer."

"Fine."

Sighing heavily, Carmine picked up her cereal bowl and dumped it in the sink. She refused to even look at her mother as she gathered her books and made her way towards the front door. Not stopping until she reached the end of the block, she pulled up her omni-tool and sent a quick message.

_To: Lee Shepard_

_CC: Ellis Wade_

_From: Carmine Vaughan_

_Subj: Camping_

_We'll need to come up with another plan. Parents are lame. Meet at the usual place?_

_~Carmine_

* * *

><p>Carmine walked around the back of the maintenance shed and was surprised to find Lee already waiting for her. She was usually the first person there since she lived the closest. Both the Wade and Shepard families lived on farms on the outskirts of town.<p>

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Cam had to be to school early for some club meeting. So I dropped him off and decided to just come here right away. I knew you wouldn't be much longer. You were already on your way when you sent the message."

"How'd you know that?"

He grinned. "Because I know you, Carmine, and you have a temper. The minute your parents said no, you grabbed your stuff and stomped out of the house. You probably didn't stop until you were a block away."

"That's kind of scary, Shep."

Lee's grin disappeared as he mumbled, "Yeah, well. If only Ellis was as easy to read."

Carmine had to fight back a laugh. She was probably a horrible friend. She knew that Lee had a crush on Ellis, but she _also_ knew that Ellis had a crush on Lee. A good friend would probably help clear the air, and not let either of them suffer anymore. But it was just so much fun keeping the secret to herself and watch them dance clumsily around each other.

To be fair to herself, she had hoped that this weekend of camping would help push them towards finally figuring it all out. That's why she had come up with the idea. She'd sold them on the idea by reminding them both that Ellis was a senior this year, and he'd be heading off to college soon. They had both readily agreed that it was a good plan, and she'd been looking forward to it. Until her parents decided to be a huge pain in her butt.

As if reading her mind, Lee said, "So...you think there is any way you can change their mind?"

She shrugged. "Well, my mom and Mrs. Wade are best friends. Maybe El can convince his mom to talk my mom into it."

"Not likely." They both turned as Ellis walked around the corner, hands in his pockets and shoulders slumped. "My parents said no, too. Probably for different reasons, but still. I guess it looks like a no go."

Carmine felt what little hope she had disappear.

Lee, however, didn't seem phased in the slightest as he said, "Well, we just need to find a way to make it happen anyways."

Carmine grinned at him. "See, this is why I love you, Shep."

"Yeah, but what exactly are you suggesting, Lee? Both my parents and Car's parents said no."

Rolling her eyes, Carmine turned towards Ellis. "When has that ever stopped us before?"

"Never, but this is a little different than sneaking out for a party. They're going to notice when we're gone for an _entire weekend_."

"Yeah, but by then we'll be so deep in the woods, they'll never find us. Yes, we'll probably be grounded, but it will be so worth it." She elbowed him. "Just the three of us? _Alone_ in the woods?"

She waggled her eyebrows at him, and was rewarded with a deep blush as he looked towards Lee and then quickly back to her.

"Fine. What's the plan?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her words of wisdom.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except Carmine and Ellis. I am 100% responsible for those two, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Anna looked down at the empty bed and was disappointed, but not surprised, to find that her intuition had been correct. She'd woken from a sound sleep around midnight with the sudden urge to check on Carmine. She debated with herself about what to do. It's not like she didn't know exactly where her daughter had run off to. But finding where exactly in the large, forested park they were was not going to be an easy task. Especially at night. Should she call the other parents now, or wait until morning?<p>

She felt more than heard her husband move up behind her, and she leaned back as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He kissed the top of her head before saying, "Our daughter appears to be M.I.A."

"It looks that way."

"If she wasn't blatantly mocking our authority, I would be impressed with her determination."

"Yes, well. We can save that for _after_ her five months of house arrest." Elias chuckled, and she continued. "Should we let everyone else know?"

"Probably. I'll call Robert if you want to call Emily."

Sighing, she pulled out up her omni-tool to contact her friend, and Elias went into the living room to contact his. Emily must have been working a late shift at the hospital, because she picked up almost immediately.

"Anna? What's wrong?"

"Did you tell Ellis he could go camping this weekend?"

"No, I'm working overnights this weekend. I told him he needed to stick around the farm to help his father with the chores. He wasn't happy with me. Why?"

The way she asked told Anna that her friend already suspected why. "We told Carmine she couldn't go either. But she appears to have ignored that."

Emily groaned. "And where one goes…"

"They all go," Anna finished. "Yeah. I'm willing to bet my life that the three of them are setting up a tent in the middle of the woods right now."

* * *

><p>"Carmine, I really don't think that this is something to <em>laugh<em> about."

"Oh, I beg to differ, El. And I think if you had a mirror, you'd agree with me."

The scowl her friend gave her made her giggle louder. It didn't take long for the commotion to draw Lee out from the woods where he'd been gathering firewood.

"What are you guys doing over here?"

Carmine simply pointed her light at Ellis' face, which had turned a bright shade of pink as soon as Lee had arrived. The pink made the large splotch of white bird droppings that had landed on his head and face stand out even more. And of course, that only made Carmine laugh harder, and soon Lee had joined in.

Ellis grumbled, "Such good friends you are. Just laugh it up."

And they did for several minutes before Carmine finally decided that this was an excellent opportunity to start implementing her plan for the weekend. She elbowed Lee in the side.

"Hey Shep, remember that stream we passed a half mile back?" He nodded and she continued. "Go with El, and help him wash that crap off. I can finish setting up the tent and start a fire."

She almost started laughing again when they gave her identical expressions, looking like a pair of deer caught in her headlights.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," she mumbled under breath before sighing and shooing them along.

She had her work cut out for her trying to make those two idiots realize their feelings for each other. It was going to take a fucking miracle.

* * *

><p>Anna knew that she going to have trouble getting back to sleep, so she started a pot of chamomile tea. They'd all decided to wait until morning to go looking for their children.<p>

Robert and Denise Shepard had apologized profusely. Apparently they'd happily helped the kids pack everything into Lee's car, having no reason to doubt that Ellis and Carmine had permission from their parents. Elias had assured them that no one was blaming them in the slightest, and knowing that they had Lee's car would make them easier to find. They should be able to track it's GPS unit.

She wasn't really worried about them. They were all impulsive and reckless, but they were smart, and having all been raised as colony kids, knew how to take care of themselves. In fact, she had been thinking that they had been a little too rash in deciding to not let Carmine go. It just seemed like they had blinked at some point and missed her growing up. Not that she had any plans of telling her that now. Now, Carmine would be lucky if she was allowed to go anywhere all summer.

Anna was at the kitchen table about to take a sip of her tea when the first explosion sounded. By the time Elias rushed in from the other room and joined her at the front window, they'd heard two more. He grabbed his binoculars from the hall closet and looked towards the edge of town.

Anna watched as her husband's face drained of all color.

She fought to keep herself from panicking as she asked, "What is it? What was that?"

When no answer came, she tried again. This time she was unable to keep the tremor from her voice.

"Tell me what you see, Elias."

Lowering the binoculars, he slowly turned towards her and uttered one word. The one word she had hoped she would never hear, and the one word she had known it would be from the moment the first explosion sounded.

"Slavers."

* * *

><p>When Lee went back to his car to grab the rest of their supplies, Carmine took the opportunity to question Ellis.<p>

"So, how did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"The two of you, alone together, washing in the stream. Did he help you? Did he run his fingers through your hair?"

She waggled her eyebrows and laughed when he turned bright pink again. It was entirely too easy to make Ellis Wade blush.

"No, we did not stumble into the pages of a romance novel. It was...awkward."

"Awkward? Why?"

Ellis rolled his eyes and said, "Of course you don't understand, Car. Everything is easier for you. If you want something, you just...go after it. You never seem to get scared or care what anyone else thinks. I'm not like that. And you two are my best friends. I _really_ don't want to mess that up by doing something stupid."

"First of all, I assure you that things aren't as easy for me as you think. But I do understand what you're saying." She considered for a second before continuing. "Let me ask you this, though. Do you really think that Lee is the kind of person who would, on the off chance that he isn't delighted to learn about your feelings, let them get in the way of a friendship that's lasted since we were all babies? Honestly?"

"I never said I was logical, Car."

She huffed. "El, you're the most logical person I know. You're just scared that you'll get your heart broken. I just really don't think you you need to worry about that."

She was treading on dangerous ground. If she could break her promise to either of them, she could just tell one or the other that the feeling was mutual, and this would all be over. But she didn't break promises. It wasn't who she was.

Instead, she said, "What would be worse? If you took a risk, and he turned you down, it would hurt. I know. And things might be weird for a bit. But after a while, things would go back to normal, and you wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. But if you never take that risk, and it turns out he's sitting over there thinking the same damn thing…Well, I just think that would be much worse."

"I doubt he is."

"Why do you always sell yourself short like that, El?"

"Come on, Car. I'm not selling myself short, I'm just being realistic. I'm...average, in almost every way. I'm used to being the last one that people notice in our little group. You're...I don't know..._vibrant_. You're assertive and outspoken, and people notice you. Sometimes they're afraid of you, but they notice you. Lee is something else entirely. His mere presence demands attention. People just naturally follow him because there's just something about him that makes them want to know more."

El gave her a half smile before he continued. "Even you. Don't think I didn't notice the way you looked at him for a while last year. You never looked at me like that."

Carmine snorted. "El, I always knew I wasn't your type. It just took me longer to realize that with him." She paused for a second. "Actually, I'm not even sure Shep _has_ a type."

"I have a type."

Carmine jumped at the sound of Lee's voice behind them. She looked over at Ellis' panicked face, and knew he was wondering the same thing she was. And since he wasn't going to ask, she did.

"So how long have you been standing there, Shep?"

He sat down next to her. "All I heard was that I didn't have a type. I'm not sure why you were talking about that, but it's not true."

"Well, then indulge us."

Carmine met his eyes and held them as he considered, trying to will him to take this opportunity that had presented itself.

"Well...I guess my type is someone who is smart and kind. Someone who takes joy in life and sees the best in everyone." Lee looked past Carmine, at Ellis, before continuing. "Someone who probably thinks that they get overlooked, when the truth is that they are usually all I can see."

When he stopped talking, there was silence for several long moments. Carmine was definitely feeling like a third wheel, and was just getting up to leave, when the trees around them shook from what sounded like several ships flying close above them.

The moment forgotten, they all stared at each other with wide eyes. They had been raised on a colony, and knew enough to be very, very afraid.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her words of wisdom.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except Carmine and Ellis. I am 100% responsible for those two, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Carmine woke up in what appeared to be the hospital, with Ellis' worried face looking down at her.<p>

"You're awake," he said with obvious relief. "Oh, thank god."

She started to reply when the pain hit her. She felt like she was on fire, and she realized her head was covered in bandages.

"Ow. What happened?"

The look he gave her in reply made her stomach lurch. Why did he look so sad?

"El?"

"Car...Do you remember anything?"

She remembered hearing the ships. After a brief discussion, they'd decided to get into Lee's car to head towards town and investigate. They were barely out of the woods when the explosions started.

They had known what was happening. Slavers. She remembered them arguing about what to do. She and Lee had wanted to go into town. To find their families, and help fight. Ellis had wanted to go back to their campsite. He'd said they should try to contact the Alliance from there, and that their parents would want them to stay where they were safe.

Carmine and Lee had pulled him over to their side, just like they always did. They'd almost made it to the Shepard farm when five batarians had run onto the road and started shooting at the car. Lee had driven off the side of the road and towards the barn on the far corner of his property. But the batarians must have hit something vital in the skycar, because it had sputtered and died about 500 yards away.

She remembered that they'd quickly piled out of the vehicle and had sprinted towards the barn. That's when things got a little fuzzy for her. Lee had shouted, "Grenade!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him push Ellis to the ground and jump on top of him. Carmine had had just enough time to wonder why slavers were using grenades on three defenseless teenagers before the world had exploded around her.

And now here she was in a hospital bed, and Ellis was looking at her. And she had never seen him look so sad. She was scared to ask, but she did.

"Lee?"

"He's...okay. Or he will be. He jumped on top of me like some big, dumb _hero_, and he got hurt pretty bad, but he'll be okay. Don't know why he did something so stupid."

"Because he loves you, El."

"He what?"

"You really never noticed?"

"I...guess I didn't want to hope."

"Yeah, well, now you know. You two can stop being such dumb shits about the whole thing." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "El? Where are my parents? Why aren't they here? Were they hurt, too?"

The sad look came back, and he grabbed her hand. While his grip was warm and reassuring, the fear that held her heart was the exact opposite.

"Car...I don't really know how to say this. Most of the colony was either wiped out or taken by the slavers. Both of your parents, and Lee's, were killed." His voice shook as he continued. "My dad too. And Cam. But my mom is...missing."

The fiery pain she had felt disappeared, and was slowly replaced by the ice spreading through her veins.

"No. You must be mistaken. Just...no."

"I'm so sorry, Car."

Sorry? She wasn't _sorry_. She was angry. Her entire body trembled with it.

"Please leave, El."

"Car-"

"No." It came out a little more forcefully than she had intended, and he flinched. Softer, she said, "I just...I need to be alone right now, okay? I need to...process."

He stared at her for a long while before he finally got up to leave. When he was at the door, she called out.

"El?" She waited for him to turn around. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Me too, Car. Me too."

He left as she asked, but he came back later that day. And he kept coming back. He was there every day as she and Lee recovered.

He had nowhere else to go. They were all each other had left.

* * *

><p>It was a couple of days before the doctors felt comfortable enough to let Carmine leave her room to go visit Lee. When she walked into his room, her breath caught in her throat. Her most serious injury had been to her head, and while it had been serious enough to require surgery and keep her unconscious for close to a week, the only outward sign she had to show for it was the mass of bandages wrapped around her shaved head.<p>

Lee's injuries were much more extensive and much more obvious. He'd required surgery to remove shrapnel and stop the internal bleeding caused by it. Burns covered a large portion of his body. His face, however, remained largely untouched, and she was glad to see it light up with a smile when he noticed her in the door.

Speaking softly so as not to wake Ellis, who was sleeping in a chair next to the bed, he said, "Hey, Car. It's good to see your face."

"You too, Lee."

"_Lee_? When was the last time you called me that?"

Carmine carefully sat on the corner of his bed and looked up at him. Deciding to ignore the question, she asked him one of her own.

"Why do you think they threw a grenade at us?"

"What?"

She shrugged. "I can't stop thinking about it. I mean, we had no weapons. We were running, not fighting. And I thought the whole point of what they do is to capture people to sell as slaves. So...why the grenade?"

"You're right. It doesn't make a lot of sense. From what I've heard, they didn't actually take that many people…" He trailed off and looked down at Ellis' sleeping form. "I honestly don't know what is worse."

Carmine shuddered and tried not to think about what Ellis' mom might be going through at his very moment.

"Lee, I…" She paused, taking time to carefully think about what she was going to say next. "I don't have anything left. Ellis told me that as soon as you're recovered enough, you're going to go live with your grandmother on Earth. And he's going to go off to school. I...They're just going to stick me in a home somewhere. I have no family."

Carmine felt Lee take her hand in his own as he said, "Hey Car, let me talk to my grandma. Maybe you can come stay with us. It's not like it will be that much longer until we're eighteen anyways."

She shook her head, willing her tears away before she looked up at him. "No. I'm...going to leave."

"Leave? What do you mean?"

"The...things that did this, they are monsters. They just hated us and wanted to hurt us. I am going to find them, and I am going to make them all pay for what they did."

"Carmine! You can't do that!"

"Why? Because I'm just a kid? Your dad taught us all how to shoot, so you know I can handle a weapon. I've always been good at sneaking around." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not stupid, Shep. I know it's dangerous, but I _have_ to do it. You understand that, right?"

Lee held her gaze for several long minutes before simply nodding.

"I knew you would understand." She tilted her head towards Ellis. "He won't. Will you help him to?"

"You're not going to tell him?"

"No. He'll just try to talk me out of it."

"He's going to be mad at you."

"I know."

"When are you leaving?"

"I'm going to try for tomorrow. I overheard the doctor tell someone they wanted me under observation for a couple more days before they'd release me. I have to be gone before they try to take me away."

Carmine felt Lee's grip on her hand tighten, and his eyes were shining when he said, "Be careful, Car."

"I'll try." She leaned down and softly kissed his forehead. "You guys take care of each other, okay? I'll write when I can."

She slowly stood up and headed towards the door.

"Car?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Turning back, she gave him a small smile. "You too, Shep. Later."

* * *

><p>"How will that make things okay again, Carmine?"<p>

Carmine looked up from her hospital bed to where Ellis stood glowering down at her. He'd walked in on her trying to leave, and she'd had to explain herself to him. He just didn't get it. At all.

"It won't, El. Nothing will. Things will _never_ be okay again, don't you get it? That's why I have to do this. That's why they have to pay."

"You don't think I understand what you're feeling, do you? I lost everything, too. Or did you forget that? It's all gone. They are all gone. And things _won't _ever be the same. But going on some crazy suicide mission is not going to change that!"

She was momentarily taken aback. Ellis Wade never got angry, never raised his voice. He had certainly just raised his voice now, and he definitely _looked_ angry. Well, good. She was angry, too. Not at him, but still.

"You aren't going to change my mind, El. So are you going to help me sneak out of this hospital, or are you going to keep fighting with me until I leave on my own?"

His angry expression didn't change as he just stared at her. So she said the one thing she'd been holding back.

"What if I can find her, El? What if I can save her?"

The look on his face told her that he wanted to believe it was possible, but wasn't sure he did. Neither did she, but she had to try.

She _had to_.

"Fine." Ellis sighed in resignation. "I'll help you leave just so you don't hurt yourself more in the process. I still think you're making a big mistake."

"Noted. Now go make sure the coast is clear while I unhook myself."

He simply shook his head in reply, but then he got up and make his way towards the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her words of wisdom.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except Carmine and Ellis. I am 100% responsible for those two, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Ellis had insisted on staying with her as she snuck out of the hospital. Carmine knew he was just waiting for an opportunity to try and talk her out of leaving again, but she hadn't given him one yet and didn't plan to. He didn't understand, and he never would. He wasn't like her. Even Lee had only vaguely understood. Lee understood the need to do <em>something<em>, but she was certain that he didn't understand how deep the anger that was driving her ran. If it took the rest of her life, if it _killed her_, she was going to find every single person responsible for what had happened, and she was going to make them pay dearly.

It had been difficult to keep from being spotted by one of the many Alliance patrols, but they eventually made it to her house. She hesitated with her hand on the door, suddenly glad for Ellis' company. She hadn't foreseen the sudden feeling of apprehension she had about walking into that empty house. Of course, it wasn't so much the emptiness itself-she'd been alone in the house plenty of times. Rather, the reason behind the emptiness, knowing that it would now be forever that way, _that_ was what was causing the dread to wash over her.

She felt Ellis' hand on her shoulder as he said softly, "I know. Why do you think I've practically been living at the hospital?"

Carmine took his hand and opened the door, drawing on his quiet strength as she crossed the threshold. She sucked in a breath as she took in the scene. Furniture was overturned and she could see trails of blood leading towards the kitchen. She didn't realize that the horrible keening sound she was hearing was coming from her until Ellis pulled her into his arms, and she sobbed into his chest.

It was the first time she had cried since since Ellis had given her the news. For a brief moment, her anger faded and she really and truly grieved. For her parents, for her friends, for their families. For innocence lost and for a community forever altered. She let all of the grief pour out for several minutes, until she felt completely drained.

And then the anger crept back in, filling all the newly emptied spaces inside her and becoming stronger than ever. Without a word, she pushed away from Ellis and made her way back to her bedroom, refusing to look into the kitchen as she went past. Going to her closet, she pulled out a large duffel bag and started pulling clothes into it. Ellis stood in the doorway, watching her but not saying anything.

She stepped past him and made her way into her parent's bedroom, going straight for the trunk she knew was sitting in the back of the closet. Opening it and lifting the lid of the false bottom, she found what she was looking for: her father's Striker pistol. Tears threatened again as she realized he'd never even had a chance to get to it, but she shook it off and replaced it with the anger that was quickly becoming her constant companion.

She grabbed the gun and all the spare clips she could find before heading back to her room and throwing it all in with her clothes. That was it. She zipped up the bag and threw it over her shoulder. As she started towards the door, Ellis stepped in front of her and blocked her path.

"Is there something I can do for you? _Anything_?"

Carmine looked up, and felt a small pang of regret when she saw the expression on his face. She knew he was hurting just as much, had lost just as much. But she wanted to _do_ something about it, and he didn't.

"Just get out of my way, El."

He searched her eyes. She didn't know what he was looking for, but she didn't think he'd found it when he sighed and stepped to the side.

"Please just...be careful, Carmine."

She couldn't promise that so she said nothing and simply walked out the door, not stopping to look back.

* * *

><p>Lee looked up as a subdued Ellis walked into his room.<p>

"She's gone then?"

Ellis nodded and started to walk towards the chair, but then stopped suddenly and looked up to Lee.

"You knew?"

"I did. She told me last night when you were sleeping. I'm sorry, El. She made me promise not to tell you because she was afraid you'd try to stop her. She was right, wasn't she?"

"Of course I tried to stop her, Lee! She's going to get herself killed."

"Maybe, maybe not. I've never in my life bet against Carmine Vaughan. I'm not going to start now."

There was something in Lee's tone that gave Ellis pause. It almost sounded like he was jealous of Carmine.

"Lee, tell me you aren't thinking about running after her."

"Well, I can't do much of that now, can I? I'll be stuck in this bed for at least another week."

"That wasn't a no."

The look Lee gave him was full of fire as he said, "I don't know what you want me to say, Ellis. I can't tell you that I don't understand what she's thinking, because _I do_. I understand the need to find the people responsible for this. I understand the need to run away from this. And I also understand that awful feeling that we are not the same people we were two weeks ago."

"But, Lee-"

Lee grabbed his hand, and Ellis felt himself relax slightly as his expression softened.

"El, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just saying that I understand. This is how Carmine needs to deal with this, and as her friends, we should at least try to understand."

Ellis felt his throat tighten and tears well up in his eyes as he answered, "I do. I mean, I am. Trying to understand, that is. I just…I...I've lost everything, _we've_ lost everything. I can't lose you too, Lee. I can't. It would kill me."

He dropped onto the chair and rested his head on the bed, letting some of his own pent-up grief pour out. Lee ran his fingers through his hair and murmured comforting words as Ellis cried softly into the mattress. Gradually, his heart became lighter, although not much, and he looked up into worried brown eyes.

"El, I'm not going after her. But I am going to leave here, eventually. To go to Earth."

Ellis sighed. "I know. But, somehow, that just seems different. I'll be on Earth too, for school. And we'll be able to talk to each other whenever we want. She says she'll write, but...who really knows how often she'll be in a position for that."

"I know. I'll miss her, too. You know her, though. She'd never let anyone know she needed anything. So, if and when she does reach out to us, we'll know that that's her way of getting the support she needs."

"And we'll just have to make sure we're there for her then."

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>Carmine quickly and quietly made her way towards the small spaceport on the other side of town. She hadn't put much thought into how she was going to get away from Mindoir, but figured that's where she'd find her options.<p>

There were several large Alliance ships docked in the front. She might have told Lee that she was confident in her sneaking abilities, but she wasn't ready to test them on a military vessel. So she made her way towards the back, where there were a few ships belonging to the media and a couple of transports. She knew there had been a good number of people that had flown in from off planet to look for word on loved ones. Most of them had not found the answers they'd wanted.

Since she was pretty good at not being seen, Carmine often heard things she wasn't meant to. And what she'd overheard about the attack was the stuff of nightmares. Only a couple dozen people were actually missing, presumably taken alive as slaves. Everyone else, aside from a handful of survivors found in the rubble, had been slaughtered. The batarians had used explosives and heavy weapons. It was apparent that they had not intended to leave many people alive, as slaves or otherwise.

The other curious thing was that there was medical equipment stolen from the hospital, and it was mostly stuff from Dr. Wade's lab. Carmine knew that Ellis' mom was some sort of big shot in medical circles due to a paper she had published several years ago. Something to do with cloning and treating nervous system damage. She'd apparently received grants from the Alliance to continue her research here on Mindoir. Carmine hadn't paid much attention to the details before, but now she wished she had. Something told her it was important.

But she couldn't worry about that now. Right now she had to get off this planet. Slipping easily through the crowd, she made her way towards a transport in the back, figuring that would be her best option for remaining unnoticed. It was almost too easy to sneak past the guard, and she quickly made her way down to the cargo hold. That would be the best place to remain unnoticed for an extended period of time. She found a dark corner, sheltered by several large crates, and made herself at home.

She was reflecting on how well her non-plan had worked out when she felt a large hand grasp her shoulder and a deep voice asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

****BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.****

* * *

><p>Emily Wade had never been one for prayer. Her life had been consumed by science since she'd learned to read. But as she sat in a holding cell aboard a batarian slaving vessel, she was seriously considering reaching out to the god her grandmother had always talked about. She was all alone, and more scared than she could ever remember being. If felt like she had been sitting there for hours before she finally heard footsteps approaching.<p>

Three batarians approached the entrance to her cell. One stopped about five feet away, standing with his weapon pointed her way. The other two came all the way up the her door before stopping. One carried a weapon, and she assumed he was another guard. The other appeared to be unarmed, and she guessed he was the one in charge. After a long period of uncomfortable silence, he was the one who eventually spoke to her.

"Are you Dr. Emily Wade?"

She didn't answer. They had asked for her by name in the hospital as well. A frightened co-worker had pointed her out when questioned, and they'd killed him anyway. She didn't see any reason why she should cooperate with these terrorists.

He asked her again, and when she still didn't answer, he motioned for the guard next to him to open the gate. Grabbing her arm hard enough that she knew she'd have a bruise later, he yanked her to her feet and pulled her out the door. They passed by another holding cell where she could see several people she vaguely recognized from Mindoir. Seeing them all huddled together in one small cell, while she had been kept separate, only reinforced her growing sense of dread.

She had obviously been targeted. Was the entire attack on the colony because of her? And what could a group of terrorists possibly want with her?

Emily had a feeling she wasn't going to like any of the answers.

* * *

><p>"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"<p>

Carmine's heart leapt to her throat, and her hands shook as a voice boomed behind her. That feeling only intensified as she slowly turned around and found herself face-to-face with a hulking krogan. She'd never been this close to a krogan in her life, and he was scarier than she would have ever imagined. As he looked down at her with a scowl, Carmine suddenly remembered that he was waiting for an answer from her.

While she certainly felt fear standing under his intense gaze, she also recognized that this was it. This was the beginning of her journey, and if she was already shaking in her boots, she wasn't going to get very far. So she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before answering.

"I'm Carmine. Who are _you_?"

His eyes narrowed. "You didn't answer my second question."

She returned the expression as she said, "I'll answer your second question when you answer my first."

To her surprise, he let out a short laugh. "You've got a quad, kid. Fine. Name's Wrex. Now, what are you doing here?"

Carmine decided honesty was her best course of action here. She had a feeling he would be able to tell if she tried to tell him a lie. And she didn't need to tell the _whole_ truth, just enough.

"I was trying to hide out so that I could get off this planet. My entire family was killed in the attack, and I want to get out before the Alliance decides to ship me to an orphanage somewhere." She raised her chin and met his eyes. "What are _you_ doing here? I can't imagine you're looking for family. I think I'd have remembered if any krogan lived here."

Carmine wasn't sure what to make of the way he sized her up after her admission. He was quiet for a minute before he finally responded.

"Mmm. No, I'm not here looking for family. Just clues." His eyes settled on her shaved head and the still-healing surgical scar. "So...you survived the attack? Maybe you can help me."

"Looking for clues? Are you some sort of investigator?"

"Investigator? Ha! No, I'm a bounty hunter, and the batarian that I'm currently chasing down was involved in this attack."

Wrex was sharing a lot of information with her. Why?

"So you think I can tell you something that will help you find him?"

"I'm hoping."

"What's in it for me?"

"Besides me not turning you in to the captain of this ship?"

Carmine scoffed at him. "You do that, and you definitely won't get any information from me. No, I want more than that."

The krogan took a step closer to her, growled and narrowed his eyes into a look that she was sure was supposed to intimidate her. But she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. If he got her booted off this ship, she'd find another. If he didn't, and he let her get what she wanted out of the deal, she'd have taken one huge step towards her goals without even leaving Mindoir's surface.

When Wrex realized that she wasn't going to scare or back down, he took a step back and gave her another appraising look.

"Okay, what do you want?"

"I want to come with you."

His eyes narrowed again. "What do you mean?"

"When you go after your bounty, I want to come with you."

"No."

"Fine. Then I won't tell you what I know."

"How do I even know you have anything for me?"

Carmine shrugged. "You don't. Frankly, I don't even know if I have any useful information. But I'm good at not being seen, and I did overhear things while I was in the hospital. We're after the same thing. If we work together, we can get it faster."

"I work alone, and you're a kid."

"No. Nine days ago I was still a child. That changed when when the scum you are looking for murdered my family."

"So you're after revenge?"

"I am."

"That'll get you nowhere fast, kid."

"It's still better than staying here."

"I'm not a babysitter."

"I don't need one. You don't know me, you don't care about me. That's fine. You aren't responsible for me, _I'm _responsible for me. If you're worried about having to protect someone, don't be. I can protect myself. Or get killed. Either way, it's my problem and not yours."

"It's my problem if you get in my way."

Carmine thought fast. "Okay, how about this? I'll stay out of sight, and take care of myself, keeping my presence here a complete secret to anyone but you. I'll keep doing this, even if you switch transports, and when we get to wherever you're going next, will you finally believe me when I say I won't be in the way?"

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

"You give me the information that you have now."

"No."

"Then no deal."

"I won't give you everything I know now. I might have a brain injury, but I still _have _a brain. I would lose any leverage I have. What I _can_ do is give you some information, enough so that you will know if it's worth it or not."

To her surprise, the krogan laughed. "I'm starting to like you, kid. Fine. If I like what I hear, you have a deal. But it's for this bounty only. We catch Sorn, and you're gone."

"Understood."

"So, what do you have to tell me?"

"Medical equipment."

"Medical equipment?"

"Yes. They killed almost everyone, only took a few slaves, but took a bunch of medical equipment."

"What would slavers want medical equipment for? What kind?"

She smiled. "I can't answer the first question. The second will have to wait."

He growled again, but this time she knew it was frustration instead of an intimidation tactic. She laughed.

"So, what's our destination?"

"Omega."

* * *

><p>Emily tried to memorize the path they had taken through the ship, in case it would come in handy later. It was obviously fairly large because they walked for several minutes before she was dragged into a room with several monitors on the far wall.<p>

The batarian in charge asked her again, "My name is Batok Gor'nolak. And you are Dr. Emily Wade?"

When she still refused to answer him, he slapped her hard enough that her vision blurred for a moment.

"You will answer me, human. Sorn, bring up the feed." Batok glared down at her. "Now. I will ask you one more time. _Are you_ Dr. Emily Wade, and is that your son?"

Her head snapped up at the mention of Ellis, and she watched in horror as his face appeared on the screen in front of her. He was sitting in a chair next to a hospital bed in which Lee Shepard appeared to be sleeping.

"Where did you get this?"

"I am the one asking questions. And you are testing my patience."

"I am Emily Wade." She fought to keep the tremble from her voice. "Where did you get video of my son, and what do you want with me?"

He hit her again, but not quite as hard this time. Or maybe she had just been ready for it.

"The only thing you need to know is that we are looking at a live feed. I have eyes on your son, Dr. Wade. He is currently safe and unaware. If you do not cooperate with me, I only have to say the word, and that will quickly change."

She closed her eyes and thoughts raced through her head. Even though she could see that Ellis was alive and well, the image raised many painful questions. Where was her husband, James? Where were Robert and Denise? If their son was lying in a hospital bed, why weren't they by his side? And Cam? The Vaughans? If Ellis and Lee were together, Carmine was not usually far away.

More questions she wasn't sure she wanted answers to.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself, she answered, "I see that I have little choice. May I ask a few questions?"

The batarian sneered at her, but then nodded. "You may ask. I _may_ answer."

"Is everyone else dead?"

Batok shrugged. "Most likely. We did not intend to leave any survivors, but I cannot say I'm disappointed to have such perfect leverage."

Emily had known, but the casual answer to her question still left her reeling. Almost everyone that she loved, that was important to her, was gone.

"Why? What do you want from me?"

"You are an expert on cloning and spinal injuries, correct?"

She was confused, but she nodded.

"I have a patient for you to look at, Doctor."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>"So, who is Sorn? Was he the guy in charge of the attack on Mindoir?"<p>

Carmine was pleased to see that Wrex was genuinely surprised when she snuck up beside him. They'd just left the Pylos System on a new transport, headed for Omega. She'd learned that Wrex had his own way of hiding on a ship that involved less sneaking and more bribing. She supposed that it was much more difficult to remain unseen when you were as big as he was.

She had briefly wondered why he bothered hiding at all, but then realized that it was probably due to the nature of his work. If you were trying to track someone down without them knowing about it, it would probably be best for your name not to show up on passenger manifests.

Handing him one of the sandwiches she'd stolen from the mess on her way through, she plopped down next to him. Wrex eyed the gift suspiciously for a second before shrugging and eating the entire thing in two bites. Maybe she should have grabbed him two.

"You're pretty impressive for a runt. And a human one at that."

"Thanks. So, are you going to answer my question?"

"Hmph. No, Sorn wasn't the man in charge. That would be Gor'nolak. Sorn is a tech guy, and from what I've been told, he's not loyal to anyone." Wrex made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a growl. "Which is too bad for him, because it pissed someone off enough to hire me."

Carmine took a bite of her sandwich, chewing as she mulled over what he'd said. Swallowing, she asked, "What do you know about Gor'nolak?"

"Not much, other than he's not someone you want to mess with."

"Hmm. But if you're going after one of his men, won't that make him angry?"

Wrex shrugged. "Like I said, Sorn isn't known for his loyalty. And Gor'nolak has a reputation for being smart and ruthless. My guess is that he's probably planning on getting rid of Sorn when he's done with him anyways."

She looked at him in surprise. "Really? So, why don't you just let him do that, wouldn't it be easier for you?"

"Easier, sure. But then I wouldn't get paid. And I happen to like getting paid."

"I suppose that makes sense."

He snorted. "Anyways, Gor'nolak will probably be irritated. But I'm guessing he wouldn't try to track us down, like he would if it was one of his regular men." He narrowed his eyes at her. "We still should be very careful not to get caught."

Carmine huffed. "Duh."

His answering growl only made her laugh. This was the first time they'd spoken since striking their deal on Mindoir. After all, she had promised to stay out of his way until reaching Omega. Deciding she had pushed her luck enough for today, she jumped down from the crate she was seated on and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "See ya on Omega."

* * *

><p>Two days later, Carmine sat back in one of the dark corners of the Omega docks, and watched with amusement as Wrex looked through the crowds. He'd had to wait until all of the regular passengers had disembarked before being able to leave through the cargo bay doors unseen. Carmine, on the other hand, found it easier to slip out with everyone else. The hustle and bustle of the crowd made it much easier for her to remain unnoticed.<p>

She knew that she was young and probably naive, although not as innocent as she had been a month ago, but she _was_ smart enough to know that sneaking aboard a transport was a much different thing to what they would be attempting next. The types of people she'd be trailing now would be paranoid by necessity, and they would most likely be keeping a watchful eye out for anyone even looking their way.

So she decided that she would have a little fun with Wrex. All in the name of testing her skills, of course. He searched for her for several more minutes before she saw him shrug, and make his way out of the docks. Careful to remain in the shadows, she followed behind him, close, but not too close. Carmine had never been anywhere quite like Omega, and it was difficult to not get distracted by everything around her.

It didn't take long for her to realize that this was not a nice place. The only thing she'd ever been told about the Terminus Systems was that it was where the slavers and pirates came from. And since Omega was the only place within them that she'd heard of by name, she had figured that it was probably the hub. By the looks of the people around her, she was not too far off in that assessment.

She followed Wrex down dark alleyways for several minutes before he finally stopped in front of an apartment building. She watched him pause at the door and take in his surroundings before moving to open the door.

As he did, he called out, "You might as well come in, Runt."

Carmine felt her heart sink. She thought she'd done a good job of staying out of sight. Maybe she wasn't as good at this as she thought. Pushing off from the wall she'd been pressed against, she made her way over to join him.

"Did you know I was there the whole time?"

The krogan laughed as he led her through the hallways.

"No, not the whole time. And you actually didn't do too bad. If I hadn't been actively looking for you, I probably never would have noticed."

Her spirits slightly lifted at the compliment. "Really?"

Wrex laughed as he let them into an apartment in the back of the building. "Yeah, really."

Following him through the door, she looked around at the small space. "So is this your apartment?"

"Yes."

"So you live on Omega?"

"Sometimes."

"What does that mean?"

"It means stop asking so many questions."

"Fine." Carmine stuck her tongue out at him and plopped down on a tattered sofa that was against the far wall. "Now what?"

Wrex laughed. "_Now_, we get some sleep, and in the morning, you tell me what you know."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you going to take me with you?"

He considered her for a few minutes before he finally answered.

"I will. But you stay out of sight, like you did today."

"Deal."

The krogan nodded at her before disappearing into another room. He re-emerged a minute later and threw a blanket at her.

"Get some sleep, Runt. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

* * *

><p>Emily woke up as she felt the subtle changes of the ship coming in for a landing. It had been difficult to keep track of time, but assuming they'd been bringing her food on a semi-regular schedule, they'd been in flight for at least three or four days. They had stopped once, but it must have been a refueling stop because they had departed again only a short time later.<p>

This time felt different. Then, there had been the tell-tale sounds of docking with another vessel or space-station. This time, it felt like they were descending slowly, as if they were landing on the surface of a planet. She found herself wondering if she would finally be getting some answers.

After Gor'nolak had shown her the video feed of Ellis, and told her she was there because of her research paper, he had given her very little other information. He'd simply told her to remember what was at stake before motioning for his men to take her back to her cell.

As if she could forget. Everything that was left of the people she loved and cared about had been on that screen for her to see. It was an image that would be forever burned into her mind. Emily wasn't stupid. She knew that there was very little chance she'd be getting out of this alive. But if it meant a guarantee that Ellis would remain safe, she would do almost anything.

Two armed guards walked into the room, interrupting her thoughts. One stopped at the entrance, and the other came over to open the door to her cell.

"Follow me."

Silently, she followed him out of her cell and through the ship. They exited out through the cargo bay door into what appeared to be a large warehouse. There was a loud rumbling overhead, and she looked up to see a mechanical roof closing overhead. From the brief glimpse she'd gotten of the outside, she reasoned that they were in some sort of underground bunker. She didn't realized she'd stopped until she was shoved roughly from behind.

"Move. The boss doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The guard led her to the far end of the warehouse and through a door, which lead to a long, dimly-lit hallway. He finally stopped at a door about halfway down on the right hand side, pointing towards wit with his weapon.

"Go on. He's waiting."

Emily tentatively stepped forward and opened the door. She froze when she was halfway through it. The room was set up like a hospital room, with monitors along the walls and cabinets filled with medical supplies. Gor'nolak stood in the center of the room, next to a hospital bed.

Indicating the batarian sleeping in the bed, he said, "Dr. Wade, this is my brother, Patok. Six months ago, he was was gravely injured while on a mission for me. Due to...circumstances beyond my control, we are not able to get him back to Hegemony space for treatment. I've done research into the type of injury he has, and your name has appeared at the top of many lists." He met her eyes. "Do you understand why you are here?"

"I am beginning to, yes."

"Dr. Wade, if you want to guarantee the safety of your son, you will find a way to give my brother back the use of his arms and legs."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Emily blinked at Gor'nolak.<p>

"You want me to treat him?"

"Yes."

Shaking her head in an attempt to organize the thoughts racing through it, she said, "Okay, well, several things. First, I am only familiar with human anatomy and physiology. I would...at the very least, need to do _a lot_ of research before I could even begin to say that was possible. Even if I am able to learn enough to feel comfortable with this, there is specific equipment that I would need. Expensive equipment. And even after all that, nothing is certain. The nervous system is tricky, even with all the technology we have. You must understand that I can't promise he will regain full use of his limbs."

She felt a shiver run up her spine when Gor'nolak turned his gaze on her and answered, "I understand, Doctor. But I can make a promise, I promise that if he does not, you will not like what becomes of your son."

It was completely unfair, but Emily knew that there was no use in arguing with him.

"I'll just have to do my best then, won't I?"

"Indeed. As for the rest of your concerns, follow me."

He led her out of the room and further down the hallway, turning right at the next intersection and then through a set of double doors. On the other side was a room the size of a small warehouse, split in two. The left-hand side was larger and was set up as a laboratory. She noticed that several of the items she had already decided she would need were there. On the right-hand side, several batarians were setting up what looked like medical equipment, including imaging and surgical suites.

She stepped a little closer and realized that a lot of the equipment, both lab and medical, was familiar. Emily turned back to Gor'nolak.

"Did you steal that from my hospital?"

"We took what we thought you would need. I'm sure that there are items we overlooked. Take a look around and make a list for my men. They will make sure you get what you need, no matter what."

She considered briefly before replying, "Like I said, I will need to do a lot of research first. I'll need access to the extranet, so that I can find information."

"No."

"No?"

"You are clever, Doctor. I will not risk the possibility of you sending out a message."

"Would you risk your brother's life?"

The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about how they sounded. His eyes narrowed.

"Are you threatening me, Doctor?"

"Of course not. I'm not stupid. But I do not like playing recklessly with people's lives." She gave him a pointed stare. "No matter _what_ the circumstances might be."

Gor'Nolak glared at her for several minutes before relenting. "Fine, Doctor. But my men will have you under _constant_ surveillance. And I don't think I need to remind you what will happen if you try to do anything clever."

"As I said, I'm not stupid."

* * *

><p>When Carmine woke the next morning, the small apartment was empty. At first, she thought that Wrex might have given her the slip while she was sleeping. But she hadn't given him any information yet, so that seemed unlikely. Plus, he had made a promise to her, and for whatever reason, she felt like he was the kind of person who would honor that.<p>

So, she decided to make herself at home while she waited for him to come back from wherever he was. Grabbing her bag, she made her way towards the bathroom. Since she'd had to keep herself hidden in cargo bays for the last several days, she was in desperate need of a shower. The bathroom set-up was unlike anything she'd seen before, and she assumed it was made to accommodate people of many different species. But the shower still worked like normal, and even though there wasn't any soap that she could see, it felt good to at least stand under the running water for a while.

By the time she finished, dried off, and got dressed, Wrex was just coming in through the front door. He was balancing several takeout containers in his hands.

"Runt! Come help me with these."

Carmine grabbed the box that was about to fall off the top of the stack, plus the next one down, and carried them over to the small dining table in the kitchen.

"Wow, what is this? It smells amazing."

The krogan set the remaining containers down and said, "I have no idea. I asked some guy at the diner what humans eat for breakfast, and he gave me those."

Curious, Carmine opened the boxes to find them filled with all of her favorite breakfast foods. One box had fluffy pancakes and crispy waffles, and the other had scrambled eggs, and hash browns mixed with peppers and onions. There were several strips of bacon, along with a dozen sausage links. She looked over at Wrex with wide eyes.

"Did you tell him it was only for _one_ human? I couldn't eat all of this if I took a week."

Wrex grunted and said, "You should eat _what_ you can _while_ you can. We've got to go into the shady part of Omega today, and Vaul only knows when we'll be back."

Carmine swallowed the piece of bacon she'd been chewing on.

"The shady part? Isn't the whole thing the shady part?"

The krogan laughed. "Compared to where we'll be going, what you've seen so far is practically the Presidium. Trust me, Runt. You'll need your strength." He sat in one of the chairs and nodded to the other. "So sit down, eat up, and start talking."

* * *

><p>"Are you okay, Lee?"<p>

Lee barely registered Ellis' question as he stood in the doorway of his childhood home, looking it over for what would probably be the last time. He had packed all of his things, and in just a few hours, he and Ellis would be leaving on a transport for Earth. Lee would be going to stay with his grandmother in New York, and Ellis would be heading on to London for school.

Waking in the hospital to find that his parents and brother had been killed in the attack had been devastating for Lee. The only thing that had kept him from completely losing his mind had been Ellis' constant presence by his side. Even Carmine had left as soon as she was able. He didn't blame her at all, but he missed her. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to Ellis too.

He knew that Ellis thought he was stalling in the doorway because he wasn't ready to leave behind his childhood home, but that was only partially true. The larger truth was that Lee didn't want to get on that transport because it would take him to the dock where he would have to part ways with Ellis. Where he would have to let go of the last good thing that remained in his life.

Lee hadn't realized he'd been crying until he heard Ellis whisper, "Lee, come here," before pulling him close and gathering him in his arms. The tenuous hold he had on his emotions snapped in that moment, and he grabbed the back of Ellis' shirt, holding on for dear life as he sobbed into his shoulder. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually his tears ran out. He pulled back, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Sorry El, I don't know what got into me."

Ellis pulled him back and wrapped his arms back around him. Lee didn't pull away this time, allowing himself to enjoy the sensation of Ellis' hand moving gently up and down his back.

"Stop it. Even Lee Shepard is allowed to lose control of his emotions sometimes. I haven't seen you grieve since you woke up. I swear, you and Carmine are so alike sometimes." Ellis gave a small laugh. "The biggest difference is that you aren't as impulsive as she is."

Lee huffed into Ellis' shirt. "I was tempted."

"I know. But I'm glad you decided to stay. Partly because you needed the last few days in the hospital to recover. But mostly because I need you."

He said he last part so quietly that Lee almost didn't hear him. Almost. He pulled back just enough so that he could look Ellis in the eye, bringing his hands up to cup his face.

"I need you too. I don't want to go to Earth because then you won't be there."

"I'll be there, Lee. London and New York aren't that far away."

"I know, but...I just…"

Lee couldn't find the right words. How could he explain that Ellis' presence was the only thing that was keeping him sane at the moment? That he was realizing more and more every day just how much he meant to him? That he would have thrown himself between Ellis and a thousand more grenades if it meant that he would never have to live in a world without him? That he was afraid he might lose himself if he lost him?

Lee couldn't find the right words. So he did he next best thing. He moved his hands back, curling his fingers into Ellis' hair, and pulling him down to cover his lips with his own. It was soft and slow and gentle. It was simply Lee trying to explain to Ellis everything he was feeling, everything he'd been feeling, and everything he hoped he never stopped feeling.

Ellis' hands stilled on his back, but soon they fisted in Lee's t-shirt. His lips were warm and accepting, and Lee almost cried again as he felt the emotions he was pouring in returned back to him.

It wasn't about passion (not that there wasn't any). It wasn't about lust (not that they didn't feel it). It was simply about two people acknowledging all that they meant to one another, that each needed the other, and promising that they wouldn't forget.

When they finally broke the kiss, Ellis dropped his forehead against Lee's, and whispered, "We'll get through this. Together. Somehow, we'll figure it out."

Lee wanted to believe him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Carmine hadn't realized how hungry she was until she started digging into all of the food that Wrex had brought back. She ate a little of everything except for the waffles. Those she threw straight into the garbage. Wrex looked at her curiously, but thankfully, he didn't press the issue when she studiously ignored him.<p>

She was afraid that it would make her seem weak if she admitted that they reminded her of Sunday mornings with her parents. When her mother would make waffles from scratch, and then she'd top them with fresh berries from the Shepard's gardens and cream from the Wade's dairy. They reminded her entirely too much of everything that she had lost. Both the things that had been forcefully taken from her, and the things that she had chosen to leave behind.

She already missed Ellis and Lee-more than she cared to admit. She found herself briefly wondering how they were doing, and could only hope that they were taking care of each other. Maybe after they finished whatever it was that they were doing today, she would ask Wrex about contacting them.

"You're being awfully quiet, Runt. Having second thoughts?"

"No. The opposite actually. Remembering why I'm doing this."

The krogan studied her in silence for a few minutes before he finally asked, "So what information do you have for me?"

"Okay. First off, they didn't seem all that interested in taking people alive. Which seems sort of odd if they were indeed slavers."

"Gor'nolak has a reputation for being especially brutal when it comes to humans. So that doesn't really surprise me. What else?"

Carmine made a face at him before saying, "Fine. The interesting part is who they _did_ take alive. Especially when you consider the medical equipment."  
>"What do you mean?"<p>

"Well, Dr. Wade is one of the people missing. And a lot of the research equipment stolen was hers, taken directly from her lab." She shrugged. "I can't tell you exactly what she was studying, but I'm sure it would be easy enough to find out. She is...was...my mom's best friend, so I know that she wrote some paper that was a big deal, and it had something to do with cloning and the nervous system."

Wrex looked thoughtful for a minute before he answered.

"That _is_ interesting. And it might actually be helpful in tracking down Sorn. I told you he was a tech specialist. What I meant was that he is a tech _procurement_ specialist. To be honest, I was a little worried we'd missed our chance on nabbing him. I figured Gor'nolak would be cutting him loose after this job was completed."

"And now?"

"And now we need to do a little research. If he took this doctor and her equipment, he must want them for something. Probably for whatever her paper is about. We find out what that is, all the equipment needed for that, and what they have and don't have. That's the key-what they _don't_ have. That's how we'll find Sorn."

"Because he'll eventually have to find that equipment."

"Exactly. And we probably don't have much time. You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Wrex hesitated for a second before continuing, "Runt, I'm not sure you understand the sort of world you're getting involved in. I'm going to have to get information from people, and there's usually two ways to do that: by bribing them or by threatening them. Sometimes both. The people we'll be dealing with won't be nearly as nice as I am. You need to be ready for anything."

Though she would have been lying if she said that she didn't feel a little fear at his warning, Carmine forced herself to meet his eyes and reply steadily, "I'm ready."

Wrex nodded. "Then let's get it done."

* * *

><p>The first thing that Gor'nolak had asked Emily to do was compile a list of equipment they still required for the makeshift labmedical center. She took stock of everything they had..._acquired_ already, and made a list of things she would probably need in the future. It took her a couple of days, and she warned him that things might change once she actually started working. But that would be a ways down the road, once she had spent a good deal of time learning and had a better idea of what she was up against.

He had a batarian named Sorn, who Emily vaguely remembered from her first day on the ship, watching over her during the process. If Gor'nolak made her skin crawl, Sorn made it run screaming. The former was certainly evil but, from what she could tell, sane. Sorn was very obviously not. His mood had swung in several directions during the two days he'd spent glued to her side. He was dangerous and unpredictable. Emily was immensely relieved when she finally finished her list and he left to obtain the needed items.

As long as she wasn't on the extranet, Gor'nolak gave her a relative amount of freedom throughout his complex. There were guards posted in certain areas that indicated they were off limits. But she did have access to her lab, a kitchen that was actually stocked with recognizable human foods, and a small bedroom with a private bathroom attached. She also, of course, had access to Patok's room.

And her next step was getting to know her patient. She wanted to know the specifics of his particular injury, how and when it had occurred, and get a feel for his mental state. Not that she had much of a baseline to go off. She knew next to nothing about batarians. But she knew that a positive outlook was just as important to the healing process as anything she would be doing in her lab.

Emily had read a file that was left by the prior physician and, even with her basic understanding, she could tell from the report that he'd been a hack. If he had treated the injury correctly from the start, she wouldn't be needed now. But he hadn't, and he was now most likely dead, leaving Patok's fate resting firmly in her hands. Despite her still limited knowledge, she was fairly certain that she'd be able to give him at least _some _functionality back. She only hoped it would be enough.

Emily let herself into his room and made her way over to the side of his bed. He looked up at her and nodded slightly.

"Doctor...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name earlier."

"Wade. Doctor Emily Wade. And you? Do you go by Patok, or is there another name you would prefer?"

She was surprised by the warm smile he gave her before replying, "Patok is fine."

Emily pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down so that she was eye-level with him.

"Patok it is, then. I wonder if I might ask you some questions. About your injury, how it occurred and any treatments you've had before now."

"Certainly."

The civility with which he was treating her took her off guard. It wasn't something she'd expected. Although, to be honest, she really hadn't known what to expect. He hadn't spoken a word either of the two times she'd been in his room with his brother. But common courtesy was something that she hadn't encountered since being forcefully taken from her home.

He seemed to read her mind as he said, "You seem surprised by my demeanor, Dr. Wade. I assume that to mean that my brother has been up to his usual tricks. May I ask _you _a question first?"

"Sure. What would you like to know?"

"How has my brother gained your cooperation? You don't seem the type to be bought, so I assume he has some sort of leverage over you."

Patok seemed to be genuine in his inquiry. She found it curious that he really had no knowledge of what his brother had done to get her here.

"You could say that. He destroyed my entire colony, killing almost everyone, including my husband. But my son is still alive, and your brother has made it clear that he will not remain that way if I do not give you back the full use of your limbs."

"I see." Patok was quiet for a moment before he finally said, "Then I suppose it would be pointless for me to ask if you'd be willing to purposely fail."

* * *

><p>Omega naturally provided plenty of shadows for Carmine to stick to as she followed Wrex to the meeting with his contact. The problem was that there were already other people hiding in them. It was a test of her sneaking ability to try and move through without anyone noticing her, and she was grateful when he finally stopped outside of a warehouse in the lower reaches.<p>

He had a way in, but she'd need to find her own. She spent several minutes looking around until she saw an air vent that she thought she'd be able to squeeze into. Next to Ellis' lanky build and Lee's muscular physique, Carmine had always felt like a little kid with her own petite frame. Now, however, she could definitely see it's advantages. Carefully making her way into the vent, Carmine started crawling towards the blinking triangle on her omni-tool.

The omni-tool had been a gift from Wrex, who gave it to her and told her to get rid of her old one so that she couldn't be tracked. He'd programmed it to his omni-tool so she could track him and also synced it with his apartment's key code. When she'd looked at him in surprise he had shrugged and told her to consider it payment for helping him with his job. She'd hugged him gratefully, and he'd growled in response, but she now knew the truth: Wrex was big softie. Especially for a mercenary-and a krogan.

She followed his marker through the building until it finally stopped in a room towards the back. Making herself as comfortable as she could in the tight space, she settled in to listen to their conversation. She and Wrex had done a little research prior to this meeting, so they'd have a good idea of what kind of equipment Sorn would be looking for. The turian that Wrex was meeting with, Platius, was apparently the man to see about medical equipment. Sorn would most likely be going through him, and Wrex had wanted to get to him first.

Carmine had to admit that she was almost disappointed when their meeting concluded without incident. Platius apparently owed Wrex a favor and that, combined with a modest bribe, had him promising to send the krogan a message as soon as Sorn contacted him.

Her disappointment turned to panic a moment later when Platius called out to Wrex's retreating back, "Oh, Wrex? There appears to be someone crawling through my vents. One of yours?"

_Fuck._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know they aren't even in this chapter, but I commissioned the AMAZING starfleetspectre over on tumblr to do the scene between Ellis and Lee and the end of the last chapter. You should really check it out: becominglolalu dot tumblr dot com /post/99599138088/can-i-just-tell-you-all-how-much-i-love**

**(Remove the spaces and turn the 'dots' to actual dots, of course.) ;) I love it so much!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Carmine held perfectly still as she watched Wrex stop in the doorway and slowly turn back, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that it was almost painful.<p>

"Varmint problem, Platius? I'm sure I wouldn't know anything about that."

"So, it wouldn't bother you if I called in an exterminator?"

"Why would it?"

Platius shrugged. "No reason. I'll be in touch, Wrex."

The krogan simply grunted and walked out the door. Carmine stayed still, running through everything in her head to try and figure out where she had gone wrong. She was absolutely certain that she hadn't made any noise as she'd made her way through the vents. Then she remembered the outer cover to the vent that she'd left sitting on the ground when she'd climbed through.

Damn it! How could she have made such a stupid mistake? Granted, she was new at this but that was the kind of mistake that would get her killed. She was furious with herself, but after she'd taken a moment to calm down she started thinking rationally. If that was how they discovered she was here then they probably didn't know _exactly_ where she was. She had to figure out a way to use that to her advantage. The first thing she needed to do was get out of the vents, because that would be where they started looking.

Carmine waited for Platius to follow Wrex out of the room before she started moving from room to room, trying to find a good place to drop down. Finally she found what appeared to be a closet and she quickly and quietly let herself down. This time she remembered to replace the panel that she had slipped through. After she made certain that she couldn't hear anyone on the other side of the door she carefully opened it and peered out into the hallway. She didn't see or hear anyone so she slipped through the door, careful to close it quietly behind her.

Crawling through the vents had given her a general idea of the layout of the building, so she made her way towards the large warehouse area in the back. It was the most wide-open area, and probably the last place they'd expect her to hide. And hopefully, it had it's own entrance that she'd be able to sneak out through. It was a risky plan. The vent she'd snuck in through was located in the warehouse, and it would most likely be the most heavily guarded area. Other than the front door. And that was why it was her only option.

Carmine listened at the door for a minute before carefully opening it a sliver so she could get an idea of the layout. There were stacks of crates on both sides of the doors. She was once again grateful for her small frame as she realized she should just be able to slip between them and the wall. Waiting until the guard closest to her had his back turned, she slipped through the door and behind the crates to her left.

The door made a soft whooshing sound as it closed and she held her breath, saying a silent prayer that it had gone unnoticed. After enough time had passed with no sign of alarm, she decided it was safe to start moving. From what she'd been able to tell, the exit was along the left wall, so that was the direction she started towards.

* * *

><p>Emily stared at Patok in shock for several long seconds before she said, "Excuse me?"<p>

"I know that must seem odd, Doctor. Maybe...maybe if I tell you the story of how I _really_ received my injury, you will understand."

"Okay."

"To start with, how much do you know about our culture?"

"Next to nothing."

"As I suspected. The first thing you should know is the people like my brother are not the norm back home, they are simply the few people who are willing to disobey the Hegemony and leave Batarian space." He hesitated briefly. "Maybe I should clarify. The violent way my brother lives his life is not reflective of my people as a whole. The way he views _your_ people however, is unfortunately very common. We are fed propaganda of how dangerous the other areas of the galaxy are, how the human race is like a plague, and that they've already infected the other Council races."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "The oldest reason in the book. You have something that we want. The Hegemony feels that your people settled lands that belonged to them. The Council disagreed, and now you are all viewed as threats to our society."

"That seems excessive."

"It may to you. But you also have to understand that your people have spread throughout this galaxy and advanced themselves faster than any other race since the Council was formed. It is very easy to see you as a threat, right or wrong."

"And there are certainly members of my species who do everything they can to make sure we are continued to be seen that way." Emily sighed. "Does everyone in your homeland feel that way, then?"

"Those that do not are..._encouraged_ to remain silent."

"I see. So you were _encouraged_?"

"Well, you may wonder why I cannot simply go back to Hegemony space and be treated by our physicians. Physicians who would be more familiar with me."

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"It is a long story, but I will try to make it as brief as possible. Back on Khar'shan I was a teacher, responsible for the minds of our youth. I taught the things that I was told to teach, but I eventually came to question some of it. I found that I could not simply accept the official version of what the galaxy was really like without seeing it for myself. But leaving Batarian space is highly frowned upon and, in most cases, actively forbidden. I knew that if I chose to leave, I would never be able to come back."

"That must have been a difficult decision."

"It was, and one I did not make lightly. Khar'shan was my home and had been since I was born. But the only family I had at the time was my brother, and he had just joined the military. So I decided to leave. It wasn't easy. I had to bribe all the right people, and I was.._am_ not a wealthy man. I sold off everything I owned in order to leave behind everything I knew."

"That was very brave of you."

"Brave?" Patok shrugged. "Maybe. All I knew was that I had this voice in my head telling me that the rest of the galaxy could not possibly be as bad as we were led to believe. So I severed ties with my brother, or so I thought, so that he could not try to come after me and then I made my way out there. I traveled to many different places over many years, eventually settling down in small colony when I met the woman who would become my wife."

She looked up in surprise. "Your wife? You're married?"

His expression clouded over. "I was. I was a husband, and a father, until the day my brother finally came looking for me."

* * *

><p>Lee's heart was heavy by the time their transport landed in New York. They'd have an hour before his grandmother would be here for him and Ellis would take off on another transport for London. They'd spent the ride here simply leaning into each other and soaking it up while they could. And while he didn't feel nearly as hopeless as he had back in his family's home, he still wasn't quite ready to let go.<p>

As if he'd been reading his mind, Ellis grabbed his hand and said, "Come on, Lee. We have almost an hour before we need to think about that. There's a cozy little coffee shop down the street that I visited with my mom the last time we were here. We can grab some coffee and hang out on a sofa in the corner. What do you say?"

Lee couldn't help but return the warm smile that Ellis flashed at him as he squeezed his hand.

"Yeah. That sounds nice."

They grabbed their bags, and made their way out of the docks and down to the coffee shop. Ellis was right, the place had an intimate feeling. Bookshelves lined every wall and tables were mixed in with cozy-looking couches and lounge chairs. They purchased their drinks and made their way towards a dimly lit corner containing a loveseat and coffee table. The drinks, purchased more so they'd have a reason to be there than them actually wanting them, were left on the coffee table, forgotten as they settled in next to each other on the loveseat.

Lee sat with his left arm along the back of the couch and Ellis leaned in underneath, holding Lee's right hand in his own. They didn't say anything for a while, just sat there enjoying the closeness. Something drew Lee's attention to a man sitting alone at one of the tables towards the middle of the room. He wasn't sure what had drawn his attention until he realized that he looked familiar. The stranger had sat just a few seats away from them on the transport and he'd seen him on Mindoir as well.

Lee shrugged off the uneasy feeling, reasoning that it really wasn't that odd. Quite a few of the people on the transport had been leaving Mindoir, and the coffee shop was right next to the dock. It was entirely reasonable that there would be other passengers here. He was probably just feeling paranoid after everything that had happened in the last several weeks.

Instead, he turned his attention back to Ellis, bringing his left hand down to casually run his fingers through Ellis's hair. They made small talk until it was time to head back, both of them reluctant to leave the comfort they only felt with each other.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Emily stared at Patok in stunned silence before finally finding her voice. She had a horrible feeling she already knew the answer but she asked anyway.<p>

"What happened to your family?"

Patok met her gaze and she was struck by the depth of the sadness she saw in his eyes.

"My brother killed them, with the misguided notion that I would happily follow him once I was no longer tethered by, as he called them, my _careless mistakes_."

He spit out the last two words, and Emily could have sworn she heard them in Gor'nolak's voice.

"Why would he say that? Because you weren't living in Batarian space?"

"That, and the fact that both my wife and son were human."

Emily was surprised for a second, but then she realized exactly what he was saying. She was unable to keep the disgust from her voice when she answered.

"I see. He saw you as one more person infected by the spread of humanity. And your family was the source, so by removing them, he hoped that you would be _cured_."

"Precisely."

"But instead of freeing you, he left you with nothing to lose. You fought back. That's how you were injured. By him, not by the human colonists."

Patok studied her before he replied, "You are very wise, Dr. Wade. Do you understand why I would rather remain in this bed than be a servant to my brother's twisted cause?"

Emily gave him a sad smile. "I do. Unfortunately, your brother learned from his mistake, and I still have something left to lose. And I intend to do everything in my power to see that I don't."

"Of course you do. And now that I know your situation I want to help. But you do realize that once my brother has what he wants, there is nothing keeping you or your son alive?"

She nodded. "I do realize that. I have no ideas right now, so the only thing I can do is buy myself time."

"I will do everything in my power to help you. I've made it clear to my brother how I feel, even if he refuses to accept it. He knows I am an unruly patient, and we can use that to our advantage. To buy time."

"I've told him that I need to study batarian medicine before I am comfortable beginning any sort of treatment. I can make that take longer than is _strictly_ necessary."

Patok smiled, but then frowned. "I find it curious that my brother took the risk of bringing in a human doctor, knowing my feelings. Of course the best batarian physicians are back on Khar'Shan, and neither of us are allowed back there."

"Neither of you?"

"I left without permission. From the moment I left, I was banned from ever returning. My brother had permission when he left but he went rogue while trying to track me down. Although I am fairly certain he is still at least partially funded by the Hegemony. All under the table, of course."

"Of course." She considered what he had said. "You're right, though. He couldn't possibly trust me. Even with my son as leverage."

"My brother is, by nature, a very paranoid man. So I am certain he does not trust you at all. We will need to be very careful."

"Is he listening to us right now?"

Patok shook his head. "No. He is watching us, yes, but there is no sound. I spent my first several weeks in this facility educating anyone within earshot about the lies of the Hegemony. My brother was forced to ban access to my room and to turn off the audio." He shrugged. "Not that anyone was listening, but he couldn't take that chance."

Emily gave a short, quiet chuckle. "Well, you are full of surprises. As bad as my situation is, as much as I don't want to be here with my son's life being used as a bargaining chip, I _am_ pleased to have you as an ally, Patok."

"The feeling is quite mutual, Dr. Wade."

* * *

><p>Lee stood on the platform, desperately trying to hold himself together. Ellis finished checking his bags and turned back to him, giving him a look that told him he hadn't done a good job of keeping the emotion from his face.<p>

Reaching up and gently wiping a tear that Lee hadn't even known was there, Ellis said softly, "Lee, this isn't goodbye. Okay? It's just a 'see you later'. I'm only going to be across the ocean, not on another planet. We can talk whenever we want. And I promise I'll come visit on my first break from classes."

Lee brought his hands up, pulled Ellis down to him, and kissed him. It was not anywhere near as gentle as their first one had been. Whereas that kiss had been about making promises and feelings known, this kiss was about two people who wanted to consume as much of each other as they could in the brief time that they had left.

They heard the last call boarding announcement, and he reluctantly broke off, resting his forehead briefly against Ellis'.

"You better. I'll be waiting for you."

He reluctantly let him go and watched him board the transport. Ellis disappeared through the other end of the docking tube and Lee was about to turn away when he stopped short. The man from the coffee shop was just entering the same tube. This time he couldn't shake the bad feeling. Lee quickly pulled up his omni-tool and sent a quick message to Ellis.

_Watch out for a guy who just boarded. Middle-aged, dark hair. He was wearing a leather jacket over a green shirt. I've seen him several times, on Mindoir, the ride here, and at the coffee shop. It could be a coincidence, but something is rubbing me the wrong way. _

_Just...be careful. I love you. _

_~Lee_

He'd hit send before he realized what he'd just typed. Well. It's not as if he didn't feel it, they just hadn't really said it out loud. Lee's heart was pounding rapidly when the reply came back a minute later.

_Did you say you_ love _me? Lee Shepard _loves _me. That's sweet._

That was it. He stared at the message for a minute, unsure of how to respond. Finally, it beeped again, and another message came through.

_To set your mind at ease: I see him and I'm getting the same vibe. I'll be careful, I promise._

_Also, I love you too. Stop stressing. ;)_

_~Ellis_

* * *

><p>Carmine reached the corner of the room, and looked over towards the door. There were two guards in front of it who didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. She was going to need a distraction of some sort, and it needed to be a big one to pull them away from the large unloading door long enough for her to slip through it. Since she was surrounded by crates, she went digging, hoping to find something that she could use.<p>

The first one she opened was filled with weapons. It was tempting, but she already had her dad's pistol if it came to that. And it probably wasn't the best plan since they still needed information from Platius. Best not to piss him off. Although Wrex had told the turian he hadn't known her, she knew that he hadn't bought it. Anything she did would reflect back on Wrex, and possibly cause Platius to withhold the information they needed. What she needed was a distraction that could be passed off as an accident. One where even if Platius suspected it was caused by their mysterious visitor, he wouldn't be able to prove anything.

She hit pay dirt in a crate near the door she had entered through. It was perfect for a couple of reasons. First, there was a stack of crates blocking the view from here to her exit. Second, it was full of tech mines. Carmine had always had an affinity for tech, and it was relatively easy for her to rig one of them to go off with a signal from her omni-tool.

She waited until she was back on the other side of the crates, and as close to the exit as she could get without being seen, before pushing the button. The charge went off, overloading every other piece of tech within twenty feet. Since the entire crate was packed full of mines the resulting explosion was big enough to draw the attention of every guard in the large warehouse-exactly as she'd intended.

Carmine didn't waste any time. With the door unguarded, she quickly made her way over and slipped out. She wasn't surprised to find a couple of guards in the alley, but her luck held as they had their backs turned to her. A delivery truck was backed up to the building next door and she quickly and quietly slipped under it, waiting until she heard the driver slip into the front before climbing into the back.

Once they were clear of the alley, and before he could get further off the ground, Carmine jumped out the back, rolling as she hit the ground. Several people gave her curious looks as she dusted herself off, but she ignored them and slipped back into the shadows to make her way towards Wrex's apartment.

When she let herself in, Wrex didn't even look up from the datapad he was reading as he said, "Took you long enough, Runt."

* * *

><p>Gor'nolak watched Dr. Wade and his brother talking on the monitor, his curiosity and suspicion growing. He didn't fully trust either of them but he was fairly certain that the doctor wouldn't risk her son's life. His attention was pulled from the screen as one of officers came into his office.<p>

"The man we have on the son may have been made by his boyfriend. What do you want to do?"

He was not surprised. This was what came of having to hire _humans_. But anyone else tracking the doctor's son would have been too noticeable.

"Dispose of him. And get someone else in there as soon as possible."

"Dispose of our man or the boyfriend?"

Gor'nolak was very tempted to say both. But he'd learned an important lesson and he knew that it was always good to have leverage.

"Just our man. For now."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p>Carmine flopped into the chair across from Wrex. Now that she was back in the relative safety of his apartment, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her faded and she was left completely exhausted. She laid her head down on the table but lifted it less than a minute later when she heard Wrex grunt.<p>

"Don't get too comfortable, Runt. We've got plans to make. I already got a message from Platius."

She smirked. "Was that before or after the small explosion in his warehouse?"

The krogan grinned. "After. Along with a note saying Sorn was on the move, he sent a warning that even though he couldn't prove the _incident_ in his warehouse wasn't caused by a faulty shipment, he would be keeping a close eye on me. And any possible associates."

Carmine grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"No need, Runt. You made a mistake. You fixed it and made it back in one piece without being seen. Platius can suspect all he wants, but as long as he can't prove anything we're fine. Learning how to survive out there is about learning how to stay out of bad situations, sure. But it's also about learning how to handle it if you do end up in one because it happens to even the best of us at some point."

She considered his advice for a moment before going back to what he'd said about Sorn.

"What do you mean by _on the move_?"

"It means he's hunting down medical equipment, just as we suspected he would. And Platius has set up a couple of meetings for him. We need to be at one of them if we want to take him out."

"So we need to figure out which one presents us with the best opportunity?"

Wrex nodded. "Exactly." He pushed the datapad over to her. "So these are the two different brokers that he's working with, and all the information that I have. Read it over and tell me what you think. I'm going to go get us some food."

Carmine started to say that she wasn't hungry but then realized that she was starving. After everything they'd done today, the huge breakfast he'd fed her only this morning suddenly felt like a long time ago. So she simply nodded and started reading the information he'd given her.

He was gone for a long time. After reading through all the information he'd given her and coming to her own conclusion, she took the extra time to reflect on how lucky she'd been that he had discovered her on that transport. Once he got over his initial reservations, he'd really taken her under his wing and she'd learned a lot in just a few days. And it felt good to know that he had at least a little bit of faith in her abilities already.

She knew that despite the agreement they'd made, he wouldn't have left her in that warehouse alone if he didn't think she'd get out. And now he was looking for her to analyze this data and come up with a plan. Carmine knew that she wasn't going to get it all right, but that wasn't the point. The point was to learn, and she was soaking up as much as she could while she could.

* * *

><p>The next day Carmine and Wrex sat deep in the underbelly of Omega. Wrex was right. She hadn't seen anything her first day here. The further they went and the more the they saw, the more she realized just what kind of place Omega really was. Unfortunately, it was exactly the kind of place where she'd be spending a lot of time until she saw this thing through.<p>

Throwing that thought aside, she instead focused on their plan. They'd decided to try and take Sorn down at his second meeting. His first meeting was in a safer place, but it was with a krogan warlord who was known to have some of the tightest security around. This area was much more dangerous, but the meeting itself would be easier to get close to without drawing suspicion.

On the outside, the plan was relatively simple. Sorn would be meeting with a salarian named Aelon. It would be up to Carmine to distract him while Wrex moved in on their target. The execution was going to be a bit more complicated for her. She needed to engage Aelon in a way that would draw everyone's attention, and hopefully occupy the salarian's security detail. Sorn would have his own of course, but Wrex should be able to handle them-especially if their attention was on whatever scene she was causing. But then she needed to be able to slip away once the shit hit the fan. That would be the tricky part.

It started off exactly as they'd planned. Carmine wandered into the middle of their meeting, waving around a pistol that Wrex had given her and shouting about the invisible robots that were chasing her. As she'd intended, they thought she was either crazy or strung out, so they saw her as more of nuisance to get rid of than a serious threat to their security. Aelon's guards moved to restrain and disarm her, and Wrex moved in.

Wrex managed to take out Sorn's security detail before things started to go...not quite the way they'd planned. It all happened so fast Carmine couldn't say exactly how they'd gotten into their current predicament. All she knew was that she had an arm across her throat and a gun pressed to her head, Wrex was standing across from her holding Aelon in a similar position, and Sorn was on the ground between them with a bullet in his leg.

A voice behind her said, "Release him, Krogan, or I shoot her."

"I'm not interested in your man. I'm after the batarian." Wrex nodded his head towards Sorn and then shrugged. "The girl isn't really all that important."

"You're lying."

"Nope. Just met her, honestly. She was useful as a distraction. But now she's not, and I really don't care what happens to her."

There was a minute of tense silence as the merc with his gun to her head considered his options. Carmine was small, and had always looked younger than she was. That, combined with the fact that she was still wearing the clothes she'd crawled through ducts and jumped out of a moving truck in, helped sell the idea that she was just some street kid that the krogan had taken advantage of.

He pushed her away roughly and said, "Get out of here, kid. Now."

* * *

><p>Wrex watched Carmine run without looking back. Now that he wasn't focused on the kid, the merc had his gun pointed directly at Wrex's head.<p>

"Just let him go and I'll leave the batarian for you to do whatever you want with."

"Wait, what do-"

Wrex almost laughed as the merc cut off Sorn's protests with a boot to the side of his head. But the krogan hadn't stayed alive as long as he had by being stupid. He focused on the merc with the gun.

"Why should I trust you?"

"I just let that stupid kid go. Doesn't that prove I have some honor?"

Wrex grunted. "No. It proves you're smart enough to realize she wasn't useful as a bargaining chip, and didn't want to deal with the mess."

"I just need you to hand over my boss, alive and unharmed. I couldn't care less about what happens to him." He nodded his head towards Sorn.

To be honest, there was no reason that Wrex shouldn't believe the merc. But something was rubbing him the wrong way and Wrex _never_ doubted his instincts. And his instincts were saying that if he let Aelon go, he'd be rewarded with a bullet in the head.

He was saved from having to make a decision when a loud crack sounded and the merc dropped to the ground with a hole in his head. Wrex had to admit he was impressed when the runt stepped out from the shadows, a pistol in her hands. He pushed the salarian away and waited until he disappeared from view before turning his attention back to the batarian. Wrex pointed his weapon at him, but then had a thought.

Looking up, he said, "You want the honor, Runt?"

Carmine just nodded and with a grim expression pointed her pistol at Sorn.

"You murdered my family. And my friends. You're getting off easy."

"It wasn't-"

She pulled the trigger, cutting off the batarian's protests.

"Where'd you get the pistol, Runt?"

"It's mine. I took the one you offered so I'd have a spare." She finally looked up from Sorn's lifeless form to finish, "Good thing I did, huh?"

"Guess so."

Wrex considered the small human in front him. She proved once again that his instincts weren't usually wrong. He'd decided to take a chance on her back on Mindoir, and she continued to surprise him at every turn.

Right or wrong, with just a little more experience, she was going to make damn good bounty hunter.

* * *

><p><em>To: Lee Shepard<em>

_CC: Ellis Wade_

_From: Carmine Vaughan_

_Subject: Hi._

_Hi guys._

_I...miss you._

_But I'm okay. In fact, I had a stroke of luck and ended up running into a bounty hunter who was already going after one of the batarians from Mindoir. After convincing him that I had information that could help him track him down, he agreed to let me tag along._

_He ended up being a pretty decent person. More than decent actually. He's letting me crash at his apartment until I can figure out my own place to stay, and he split his bounty with me and helped me get set up with a few things of my own. _

_Yeah. That means we got him. As a matter of fact, I got him. _

_I can hear you from here, Ellis. And maybe...maybe I _should _feel something, but I don't. I set out to do something, and I did it. That's it._

_I found out that I have knack for this sort of thing. I think I'm going to keep doing it. Taking bounties, I mean. I have to do something to support myself while I track down the rest of the batarians responsible. I'm only going to go after known slavers. I know that doesn't make it better in your eyes, Ellis, but...it does in mine._

_Lee...I know part of you wanted to come with me. I'm glad you didn't. Not because I wouldn't have wanted your company-I would have welcomed it-but because your heart is too good. Do what you always wanted. Join the Alliance. Take care of the bad guys that way._

_I love you guys. Take care of each other. I'll write when I can._

_~Carmine_


	12. Chapter 12

**I apologize for the delay and also that chapters will probably be delayed a bit in the near future as well. Dragon Age: Inquisition came out this week and it has consumed my life. I am still writing-just not quite as fast. I promise I'm not abandoning it, though!**

**Thanks so much for the favs, follows & reviews! You are all amazing!**

**A HUGE thank you to Jules Hawk for beta-reading this for me. She is a rock star, and I can't say enough how much I appreciate her advice and encouragement.**

**BioWare owns all. Well, except my OCs. I am 100% responsible for them all, for better or worse.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>2172<strong>_

"It has been eighteen months, Doctor, and my brother is still confined to that bed. I think you are playing with me. Do I need to have your son brought here so that you have _proper _motivation?"

Emily sighed as Gor'nolak charged into her lab and began his accusations with no preamble. He'd been away for several weeks, and it had been relatively peaceful. Over the last year and a half, he had grown more and more impatient with what he saw as a lack of progress on her part. The truth was that she had made quite a bit of progress.

She'd managed to teach herself basic batarian anatomy in the first year. Now she was trying to combine that knowledge with her existing knowledge of cloning and the human nervous system. It was not going to be a short process. It had taken her years of research to come up with the treatment method she was known for in human medical circles. Fortunately, human and batarian anatomy was quite similar. She'd be able to apply her knowledge of the former to the latter.

Not that she was sharing that information with Gor'nolak. She pretended it was more complicated than it was while Patok pretended to be a much more difficult patient than he was. Of course, she knew that her and Patok's stalling tactics could only last them so long. Luckily, they had another trick up their sleeves.

She looked up at Gor'nolak and said, "That won't be necessary. I've been waiting for you to return so that I could run an idea past you, actually."

The batarian eyed her suspiciously but said, "Go on."

"I am still several years away from providing you with the specific cure you brought me here for, _but_ I believe that I may have come up with a temporary solution that will at least give him some functionality back."

"This sounds like more stalling, Doctor."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "I will say it one more time, Gor'nolak. I am not stupid. I know what is at stake here, and I would never put my son's life at risk needlessly. Even if I did not take all of the precautions that I think are necessary before attempting to clone your brother's nervous system, I would still be a year away from attempting it. I've learned a lot about your anatomy in the last year and a half. Enough that I would feel fairly confident performing general surgery. But this is not general surgery. And I could kill your brother if I do it wrong."

"If that happens you will watch your son die a slow death, Doctor."

"Your threats are completely unnecessary. I have no intention of letting that happen, and that is exactly why I am taking my time. Anyway, as I said, I believe I have something we could try in the meantime. It's a relatively minor surgery, and I'd feel comfortable performing it now. It includes the use of cybernetics, which I don't think is the long-term solution for your brother. But if we can at least get him out of that bed for now, it would be much better for his mental health and therefore, his entire prognosis."

"Have you talked with Patok about this?"

Emily nodded. "I have. And after much discussion, I have convinced him to give it a try."

"How soon can you do it?"

She picked up a datapad that was sitting on her desk and handed it to him. "I need these supplies. I can start as soon as I have them."

Gor'nolak considered the list briefly before giving a curt nod.

"Very well. I'll make sure we have the supplies by next week."

"Then I will be sure to have everything else ready by then."

* * *

><p>"So when do you have to report?"<p>

"Three weeks."

Ellis blinked at Lee's image on his terminal. "That soon?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

Lee grinned. "London actually."

"Really?"

"Pretty lucky, huh?"

"Yeah. What are the chances? I thought they kept you in your home country for Basic."

Lee's grin faltered. "They do."

Ellis was confused. "So _how_ did you end up assigned to London?"

"I, uh…" Lee trailed off and looked at something off camera before finishing in a rush of words. "Iputyouraddressontherecruitmentforms."

Ellis stared in shock for a moment before he finally gave a short laugh.

"Are you asking to move in with me, Lee?"

"No! I mean, I'll be living on base. I just thought I could be stationed closer if I…"

"I was just teasing. But, you know...you _could_."

"What?"

Lee's shocked reaction had Ellis suddenly doubting himself. Their relationship had not really evolved since the day they'd parted at the transport a year and a half ago. Lee had finished out his last year of high school while living with his grandmother in New York, and Ellis had started working towards medical school in London.

He had visited Lee a couple times in New York and they talked almost every day, but other than a few stolen kisses and a couple of tender embraces, both men were hesitant to take things any further. Part of it was the distance, part of it was that they were still relatively young, but mostly it was that neither of them wanted to ruin a friendship that had lasted as far back as they could remember by rushing into things.

So what in the world had possessed Ellis to just tell Lee that they should move in together? He hurried to explain.

"Well, yeah. I mean, like you said, you'll mostly be living on base. And then sent off to wherever they send you. So it's really just a formality and a place to crash when you have leave, right?"

Still not looking at him, Lee said, "I...yeah, I guess."

"It was just an offer...to make things easier for you. No pressure or anything. I mean, no big deal."

Ellis was mentally kicking himself. Stupid mouth just talking before his brain had a chance to catch up. After a short, awkward silence Lee finally looked back at him.

"I'll be there in a couple of days. We'll talk about it then, okay?"

Lee had been planning his post-graduation trip for several months. All of his parents' accounts had passed over to him once he'd turned eighteen. Since he wouldn't be needing much when he joined the Alliance, he was treating Ellis and himself to a trip to the Citadel. Neither of them had ever been, and Carmine had even agreed to try and meet them there. It would be the first time they would see her since the day she'd left Mindoir. They were scheduled to leave from London in three days.

Ellis nodded. "Yeah, okay. Sounds good."

"Night, El. Love you."

"Love you, too."

* * *

><p>Carmine made her way through the dimly lit bar, weaving around groups of gyrating bodies and avoiding groping hands as she searched for the person she was looking for. She finally saw him sitting in a booth in the back corner of the room. Fairly certain that he hadn't yet spotted her, she started working on a plan to sneak up on him.<p>

Her target had made a lot of enemies over the years and he wasn't stupid. He was sitting so that he had a view of the entire bar. The only way she would be able to approach him without being seen was if he was distracted. She was looking around and trying to think of a distraction when another idea occurred to her.

The one direction he couldn't see was up. Carmine had learned quite a few tricks over the last year and a half, and she was able to easily pull herself up into the catwalks above the bar. She suspected he would know he was vulnerable from above, so she wasn't surprised to see a man stationed up there. It was almost disappointing how easy it was to sneak up on him and knock him out.

With that taken care of, she carefully lowered herself off the side of the catwalk and dropped down in the seat next to her target. The krogan didn't even flinch.

"Runt. Did you take out another one of my bodyguards?"

She smiled at him. "You should see about getting a refund on that one, Wrex. He didn't even put up a fight."

Wrex growled. "There wasn't a lot to choose from on this planet."

Carmine looked around. "Yeah, it's kind of hell-hole, isn't it? So why'd ya pick it?"

"Because someone here has information that you might find interesting."

That caught her attention. "Here? Really?"

"Yeah. Thought we could work out a trade. I've got a job coming up that I could use your help on. You promise to do that, and I'll help you shake this guy down."

Since she'd finally gone out on her own just over a year ago, she and Wrex still met regularly. He'd send her a message with just the name of some seedy bar on a random planet, and they'd meet on the first of the following month. And he always did this. Always had some bit of information that he would 'trade' with her for her help on a job.

She saw through him. He'd taken her under his wing since the day he'd found her on that transport, and this was his way of continuing to make sure that she was okay. She didn't mind. His information was always good, and she'd actually taken out a couple more members of Gor'nalk's crew. Plus, she always learned something new when she worked with him.

"So what's the job?"

"It should be fairly easy. Some volus took something that didn't belong to him. I get to take him out. But there's a bonus if I can get the stolen goods back. And I need someone who can get into tight places for that."

"Good thing you got me then. Where? When?"

"Citadel. As soon as possible."

"Well, that's fortunate. I was headed there next anyway."

Wrex's eyes narrowed. "What are you headed to the Citadel for? I thought you were sticking to out in the Terminus Systems."

"Relax, big guy. I wasn't planning on getting into trouble. I'm just meeting up with some old friends."

"If you say so."

Carmine rolled her eyes. "I do. Now, tell me what information you have for me."


End file.
